Bhubaneswar: All five infant orangutans rescued from Baleshwar forest division and currently housed at Nandankanan Zoological Park appeared normal, healthy and active during physical examination, but two of them have been found to be anaemic.
Dr Shashidhar, Assistant Director of Mysuru Zoo, said this on Wednesday after reviewing the health condition of the primates. Dr Shashidhar is part of the technical team constituted by the Odisha government to monitor the health and welfare of the baby orangutans. He said two of the five primates were found anaemic after examination of their blood and faecal samples collected for detailed laboratory analysis.
“Upon blood investigation, we found one is severely anaemic, while another is moderately anaemic. We have suggested medication and are awaiting results of several other tests such as biochemical tests. Once reports are available, we will conduct a comprehensive health assessment,” he said.
The expert noted that the baby orangutans may be under considerable stress as they were separated from their mothers at a very early age.“Orangutans have a long dependency on their mothers. Since they have been separated too early, they are under tremendous stress, which can make them more prone to infections,” Dr Shashidhar said.
He added that further treatment will be decided after receiving and analysing the lab reports. The young orangutans would require a controlled environment for some time before they become self-sufficient.
“Orangutans have a long infancy, from zero to three years, followed by a juvenile period from four to seven years. Therefore, they need to be kept under controlled conditions and cared for in an enclosure for a considerable period,” he said.
The Assistant Director of Mysuru Zoo appreciated the arrangements at Nandankanan Zoo, saying the facility has temperature and humidity-controlled rooms to provide a suitable environment. “They are doing well at present,” he added.
On diet and duration of milk or specialised feeding, he said the animals would need continued care and appropriate nutrition according to their age and health condition. It may be recalled that the five infant orangutans were found abandoned in a forest in Odisha, prompting investigation into how they got there.
Viral videos showed the baby apes sitting together on the forest floor and eating bananas, thousands of kilometres away from their natural habitat in tropical rainforests and without their mothers.
Orangutans are not native to India and the critically endangered primates are found in the wild in Indonesia and Malaysia. They were rescued from Balasore district after locals spotted them and alerted forest officials.
